Neapolitan Pizza from the Gozney Arc

2025-06-09 Eiko Wagenknecht

Today’s blog post has (almost) nothing to do with technology and is all about cooking. I recently got myself a gas-powered pizza oven - the Gozney Arc - and wanted to share my experiences with the device and making Neapolitan pizza.

I’m documenting my experiences and recipes here primarily for myself, so I can find them later. But maybe it will also help some of you who are interested in the topic.

Neapolitan Pizza

Ever since my visit to Naples, I’ve been a huge fan of Neapolitan pizza. It’s simple yet incredibly delicious and has a perfect combination of crispy base, juicy toppings, and aromatic tomato sauce. It’s even recognized as UNESCO World Heritage! What I only learned recently: Behind this apparent simplicity lies a strictly regulated craft. There are very precise rules about how an authentic Neapolitan pizza should look and which ingredients may be used. These are set out in the “Disciplinare di produzione della vera pizza napoletana” (available in English here), published by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN). Everything from the dough to the tomato sauce to the cheese and herbs is precisely regulated. Even the diameters, dough thicknesses, and baking times are specified.

To make an authentic Neapolitan pizza, you need:

• Oven: A pizza oven that reaches temperatures up to 500°C (932°F).
• Pizza dough: The dough should consist of high-quality flour, water, salt, and yeast and should rest for at least 24 hours before baking.
• Tomato sauce: The sauce should consist of fresh, ripe tomatoes and a little salt, nothing else.
• Cheese: Either Fior di latte or buffalo mozzarella can be used as cheese.
• Basil: Fresh basil leaves give the pizza its typical topping.

Equipment

The Oven

After the thought occurred that we “absolutely” needed a pizza oven, I naturally started looking around to see what was available. The selection is larger than expected - from cheap electric ovens to professional gas devices, everything is available. My most important criteria were: sufficiently high temperatures, good workmanship, and a reasonable price-performance ratio. I particularly noticed the following devices:

• Gozney Arc
• Ooni Koda 2
• Burnhard Fat Tony
• Witt Piccolo Rotante 13
• Unold Luigi
• Unold Enzo

Tabular overview of the most important specifications:

Device	External dimensions (W x D x H)	Pizza stone dimensions	Weight	Burner arrangement	Power	Other	Price
Gozney Arc (2024)	48.0 x 56.4 x 34.2 cm	37.7 x 47.3 x 2.0 cm	21.5 kg	1 burner left	4.5 kW Gas > 500°C	Integrated thermometer, rolling flame	€699
Ooni Koda 2 (2025)	54.5 x 47.2 x 33.3 cm	36 x 39 x 2.0 cm	16 kg	1 burner rear	4.8 kW Gas > 500°C	Integrated feet	€450
Burnhard Fat Tony (2024)	57.5 x 62.5 x 28.5 cm	35 x 38 x 2.0 cm	19 kg	2 burners, left and rear	8kW Gas > 500°C	Integrated thermometer, wind shield	€500
Witt Piccolo Rotante 13 (2025)	48.0 x 57.6 x 38.5 cm	33 cm round	19 kg	1 round burner rear	5.2 kW Gas	Rotating pizza stone	€530
Unold Luigi (2023)	43.1 x 46.9 x 28.0 cm	32 x 32 cm	14 kg	Top/bottom heat	1.7 kW Electric 450°C	Timer, programs	€170
Unold Enzo (2025)	50.0 x 51.2 x 29.5 cm	33 x 33 cm	15.2 kg	Top/bottom heat	2.1 kW Electric 500°C	Timer, programs, rotating pizza stone	€250

All devices have their pros and cons. The Ooni Koda is relatively light but only has one burner at the back, which makes controlling the baking process more difficult. The Burnhard Fat Tony has very high burner power but doesn’t seem to be as well-built. The Witt Piccolo Rotante has a rotating pizza stone, which makes even browning of the pizza easier. Certainly a practical feature, but for me, rotating the pizza while baking is just part of it. The Unold devices are electric ovens that (at least the Enzo) also reach high temperatures, but cannot generate the same performance as gas ovens and therefore take longer to heat up. They also look more like an oversized microwave and simply don’t have the same atmosphere as a gas oven. However, they’re a great alternative for indoor use.

I ultimately decided on the Gozney Arc because it appealed to me most visually and seems to be built with the highest quality, and also offers a good opportunity to observe and turn the pizza while baking with the side flame.

My first experiences with the Gozney Arc are positive. Assembly was simple and the device makes a very solid impression. The workmanship is high-quality and the materials feel robust. It easily reaches 500°C after about 20-30 minutes of heating. However, there are also a few points that bother me.

What I don’t like so much is the digital thermometer, which measures the temperature of the underside of the pizza stone. Due to its position under the stone, it’s extremely sluggish and therefore hardly useful for an accurate assessment of the stone temperature. I therefore measure the temperature with an infrared thermometer and only use the digital thermometer as a rough guide to recognize when the oven is heated. The oven also tends to produce heavy soot formation. I can therefore only recommend choosing the black color, otherwise the oven quickly becomes unsightly.

Overall, however, the Gozney Arc is a great pizza oven that’s perfectly suitable for Neapolitan pizza.

Peel and Turner

In addition to the oven itself, you need the right tools for handling the pizza. A pizza peel (also called pizza paddle) is needed to slide the pizza into the oven. This should have a large surface to accommodate the pizza well, and a long, thin edge to easily get the pizza into the oven. I use the Gozney Pro Aluminum Pizza Peel in size “M / Standard” and am satisfied with it. It’s stable and has a good size. Thanks to the perforation, excess flour can fall off and the pizza doesn’t stick.

A pizza turner is helpful for turning the pizza during baking. This should also have a large surface (but smaller than the peel) to lift the pizza well, and a thin edge to slide it under the pizza. I use the Gozney Balance Pizza Turner. Unlike the peel, this one is made of stainless steel. This allows it to withstand high heat for longer periods.

Thermometer

As already mentioned, the built-in thermometer of the Gozney Arc is not particularly useful. An infrared thermometer is therefore still essential for measuring the temperature of the pizza stone. It should be able to measure temperatures of at least 500°C to ensure the stone is hot enough to bake the pizza perfectly. I use the thermometer from Gozney and am satisfied with it. It’s easy to use and provides reliable readings.

Optional Accessories

Pizza dough box: A pizza dough box is practical for storing the dough during fermentation time. Since the dough needs to rest for up to 24 hours, proper storage is worthwhile. There are variants in different price ranges. Very elegant from Gozney, including temperature display. But a simple stackable 40 x 30 x 7.5 cm EURO box made of food-safe plastic (PP) also works, e.g., from AUER (Box, Lid) for a fraction of the price. 6 dough balls fit in a 40 x 30 cm box without touching each other.

Rocker knife: Anyone who wants to bake many pizzas in a row will probably appreciate a rocker knife to quickly and easily cut the finished pizzas into pieces. It’s not absolutely necessary, but a practical addition.

Dough cutter: A dough cutter is helpful for dividing the pizza dough into even pieces and forming the dough balls. It should have a straight edge to cut the dough cleanly. I get along fine without one; this is more optional equipment.

The Pizza Dough

Now let’s get to the heart of every good pizza: the dough. There are many recipes for pizza dough. But if you want to make authentic Neapolitan pizza, your options are severely limited. What all Neapolitan pizzas have in common is that they may only contain the 4 official ingredients: flour, yeast, water, and salt. Therefore, the recipes differ mainly in the exact amounts of these ingredients and the resting times of the dough. For a “short” preparation time of one day, I’ve had good experiences with this recipe from Waldi.

Ingredients

• 1000 g flour (Caputo Pizzeria Tipo 00 or comparable)
• 1.5 g fresh yeast (alternatively 0.5 g dry yeast)
• 620 g cold water
• 25 g salt

Caputo Pizzeria flour has a “W-value” (describes how much water the flour can absorb) of 260-280 and is good for “quick” pizza dough with short fermentation time up to 24h, like this recipe. For recipes with longer fermentation times (from 48h), Caputo Cuoco flour with its W-value of 300-320 is better suited, as it has higher water absorption.

Preparation

Part 1: Making the dough

1. Put 620 g water in a large bowl.
2. Add 1.5 g fresh yeast (or 0.5 g dry yeast) to the water and stir well until dissolved.
3. Add 500 g flour and mix well until a homogeneous mass forms.
4. Add 25 g salt and mix well again.
5. Gradually add the remaining 500 g flour and knead well.

Kneading should continue until the dough has a smooth and elastic consistency. This consistency is important so that the dough doesn’t tear when shaped later and can be stretched well. This takes 10-15 minutes by hand.

Alternatively, a stand mixer with dough hook can be used for this. However, this should only be used on a low setting (KitchenAid level 1-2), otherwise the dough becomes too warm and the yeast works too quickly. Anyone working with a stand mixer should then knead the dough once more by hand to improve the structure.

Part 2: Bulk fermentation

The dough should now rest for about 60 minutes at room temperature. During this phase, the yeast begins to work and loosens the dough. It should be covered so it doesn’t dry out. Anyone who wants to do it professionally uses a pizza dough box for this. Alternatively, a large bowl covered with a damp cloth or plastic wrap will do.

Part 3: Forming dough balls

1. Remove pizza dough from the box or bowl.
2. Divide the dough into 6 approximately equal pieces (about 280g each). For approximately 32cm pizzas.
3. Form each piece into a ball by folding the dough from outside to inside. It’s best to watch a video about this (e.g., the one linked above).
4. Place the dough balls in a pizza dough box (30 x 40 cm) or bowl and cover.

Part 4: Final fermentation

The dough balls in the pizza dough box or bowl should now rest in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours (24 hours is even better). During this long fermentation, the dough develops its characteristic flavor and the structure is improved. Before baking, the dough balls should be removed from the refrigerator at least 4 hours beforehand and acclimatize at room temperature.

The Tomato Sauce

For Neapolitan pizza, it’s also specified which ingredients the tomato sauce may consist of: tomatoes and salt. The result is a rather coarse tomato sauce with pieces of pulp. It focuses entirely on the taste of the tomatoes. Therefore, it’s important to use high-quality tomatoes. San Marzano tomatoes are often cited as the best choice because they are sweet and aromatic (and of course also mentioned in the AVPN document). In principle, however, other tomatoes can also be used, as long as they are ripe, aromatic, and not sour.

Ingredients

• 2 cans San Marzano tomatoes (2x 400 g), e.g., from Mutti
• 8g salt

Preparation

1. Put the tomatoes (without water) from the can into a bowl and crush them with your hands until they form a coarse sauce.
2. Add the salt and mix well.

Optionally, the tomatoes can also be pureed if a finer sauce is desired. But for Neapolitan pizza, the coarse variant is traditional.

Topping and Baking the Pizza

Now that both dough and tomato sauce are ready, it’s time to top and bake the pizza.

Topping

To top the pizza, the dough balls are first shaped into a round flatbread (about 32cm diameter) on a floured work surface. Care should be taken to keep the edge slightly thicker so it rises nicely when baking.

Which ingredients go on the pizza is, of course, a matter of taste. For a classic Neapolitan Pizza Margherita, the following ingredients are recommended:

• 60 - 80 g tomato sauce
• 80 - 100 g Mozzarella di Bufala or Fior di latte
• 6 - 7 g extra virgin olive oil
• Fresh basil leaves

Preparation:

1. Distribute tomato sauce evenly on the dough in a spiral from inside to outside. Care should be taken to leave the edge free so it becomes nicely crispy when baking.
2. Cut cheese into thin slices and distribute evenly on the tomato sauce.
3. Drizzle olive oil evenly over the pizza.
4. Distribute fresh basil leaves on the pizza.
5. The pizza should now be immediately pushed into the oven so the dough doesn’t dry out.

Baking

The oven should be preheated to a temperature of 430 - 480°C (806 - 896°F). At this temperature, baking the pizza takes only 60 - 90 seconds. This extremely short baking time is characteristic of Neapolitan pizza and ensures that the dough becomes crispy on the outside but remains soft inside.

Now the pizza is pushed into the oven with a pizza peel. The pizza should be turned regularly during baking so it bakes evenly. A pizza turner should preferably be used for this. The pizza is carefully lifted with this, pulled forward on one side, and then pushed back on the other side, so that it ends up in the same place in the oven but turned 180°. I find the movement not quite easy; it’s worth practicing this a bit before it comes to time-critical use. The pizza is ready when the edge has risen nicely and shows the characteristic leopard pattern and the cheese is melted and slightly browned.

Where to Shop?

Finally, a few tips on where to get the right ingredients. Since I live in Hanover, Germany, I prefer to buy Italian ingredients from Andronaco at the old freight station. But in other cities too, you’ll find most ingredients in any well-stocked Italian supermarket or online.

Here’s a small selection of possible products:

• Pizza flour: Caputo Pizzeria Tipo 00 or Cuocu
• Olive oil: Depending on taste, Arbequina olive oil is available cheaply here: Arbequina Olive Oil
• Tomatoes: San Marzano tomatoes from Mutti or San Marzano tomatoes from Valgri
• Buffalo mozzarella: Available cheaply at Kaufland or at REWE: Galbani Mozzarella di Bufala Maxi 200g
• Fior di latte: Best also in Italian supermarkets in large pieces, if necessary also diced e.g., at REWE: Galbani Fior di latte Mozzarella 150g
• Fresh basil: Available in every supermarket, preferably in a pot.